This is the first tournament Williams has played in Melbourne since she won the title in 2017, shortly after learning she was pregnant with her daughter, Olympia Ohanian, now 1. Williams made the finals at last season’s Wimbledon and at the United States Open, where she lost the final to Naomi Osaka of Japan in a swirl of controversy and accusations of sexism. (Osaka also advanced in Melbourne on Monday, defeating Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.) Williams has played a limited schedule since giving birth, and she now ranks at No. In the quarterfinals, Williams will face seventh-seeded Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic, who easily defeated Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain, 6-3, 6-1, to advance on Monday.

Source: New York Times January 21, 2019 12:08 UTC